Need help on califlower coral

[garan]

Hi member, my friend had passed me 1 white califlower coral due to giving up his hobby. but very strange that it cannot straight up, no matter where i put, it just wouldn't keep up straight, it lied flat on the LS. even now i shift to my sandbed with the support of a pvc pipe, it still the same. i dont think it died, cse when i touch it, it would strink, so is it normal for him to behave like this, or can i just bury it into my sandbed so that it would not bend, would it died in this way as it a soft coral with only litter bit of rock attach on it. those that with this experience can you pls advise me, i dont want with my mistake and taken his life.

BTW, my friend had gone oversea and cannot be reach. so no info from him, but he did mention to me when it was with him it was ok, just that he did not mention to me how to look after it and actually i am still newbies.

[flubberina13]

You need strong current for it...if it is melting...then it's gone case liao...

[garan]

What you mean by strong current, i had place it just in front of my PH, 600L/h but it still fall to the direction of the PH, so now i change it to the bottom outlet of the return pipe ( pump at 3200L), still no use.

you mean melt, is it you mean start dropping or tearing apart, it was at the first couple of day when i collected it back from my friend, but it had stop (with me for about 1 week++).

Btw, did it need very strong light, i am using 2 * 55w pl (10k) and 2*30w (12K)white T5 and another 2*30w blue. Also did it need to had chiller? i only had 2 fan blowing at it with a temp of about 27-28, is that ok?

[reefer guy]

put it right int he midst of strong current and low to dim lights and it would stand and bloom by itself... u need not make it stand coz it wont... in fact position it upside down and u would see it really spreading and blooming trying to reach for light...

[stonefish]

not an easy coral to keep.... need constant feeding to survive.

[SharkBait]

feed it some powdered ######

[FuEl]

Probably no energy to keep itself upright already. It's a gone case. Even if you feed it now I don't think it would have the resources to capture and digest the food.

[Clownfish]

get 1 ###### photo n place it in front of ur cauli... n...

u will get a hard n firm cauli

[garan]

So experts, what your can suggest me to do, just let him stay inside there and waiting to die,NO WAY, i am not that type of watching it died w/o doing anything. so any best way and effective way to save my califlower, what the best food to feed him now? Liquid Food?

Btw, califlower cannot be cured by ######, it only can be done a hard injection. HaHa

[Achilles Tang]

Dendronephthya species or cauliflower corals are corals not recommended to be kept even by advanced reefers as the conditions they survive long term in is extremely hard to maintain as it would mean a species-only tank which has to provide:

1. Good quality water.

2. CONSTANT and REGULAR feedings of LARGE QUANTITIES of live phytoplankton & small zooplankton.

3. Good water circulation to keep them lifted up.

These are one of the most beautiful corals seen underwater but unfortunately something best appreciated only while scuba diving or watching documentaries.

In a captive reef tank mixed with other corals, the amount of food being introduced to keep them alive would crash the tank.

Unless you have access to NSW everyday and can pump them in and out of your tank, it's a hopeless quest.

AT

[Mellow]

yup, these are predatory corals and require constant feedings....not easy to keep. maybe u can try attaching it upside down under a cave or something because these corals are normally found in low lighting conditions, mounted upside down in the wild

[Achilles Tang]

They can be found at any position in the wild.

It's better to hang them upside down in reeftanks so they don't fall over and get damaged by water movements or substrate surfaces.

I don't see them deflated and lying down in the wild... they are always full and polyps extended.

[garan]

, what a sad thing to heard, so i belive there no way to save him since our chief also had no way of keeping them alive, so what the best way of treating him, how we know that it already died off, is it like the member say, it start to melt? if that the case, would it crash my tank due to decompose? ( nitrate level is now <12.5 ppm. NH & NO2 is 0, Ph 8.1) On the other hand, i really cant bear to just throw it away which i knew that it still alive but i had just complete my tank cycle, and starting to introduce coral to my tank. really a hard choice to make.

Btw, thank chief for the good advise, i really must open my big eye in future B4 i get any LS. A really good lesson for me.

[Achilles Tang]

Good man.

Please remember 'Responsible Reefing' means being able to say no to beautiful marine livestock if you are not able to provide ideal conditions for them, and the only way to know that is to first educate yourself.

Everything is possible in reefing but it comes with a very high price.

[garan]

YES SIR, i will be very careful next time. Btw did anyone know know who got the capable of adopting it? it FOC, just PM me. But must be fast B4 it gone.

[Achilles Tang]

If I am not wrong, they need good quality water with very very low nitrates as well as all the stated requirements.

The long term prospects of such corals even in other reefers tank are still rather bleak.

[garan]

Hi Guys, this times is really bad, i think my coral is gone. There crack on its bottom stem, does that mean it dead? And must i need to remove it from the tank before its start to melt, so that it would not affect my water condition.